By Michael T.
Esmino
Managing Editor
The government has earmarked
P14.3 million for President Benigno S. Aquino III’s participation in two key
regional summits in Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam from October 6 to 10,
Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. said on Sunday.
President Aquino
left on October 6, for Bali, Indonesia via a chartered flight. He was accompanied
by Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo,
Socio-Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, Cabinet Secretary to the
President Jose Rene Almendras, Presidential Management Staff head Julia Andrea
Abad, PCDSPO Secretary Ramon Carandang and Presidential Protocol chief Celia
Anna Feria. Indonesia is the President’s first stop for a series of meetings in
the next five days.
Foreign Secretary
Albert Del Rosario, who flew earlier to Indonesia, is meeting the Philippine
delegation in Bali for the 21st APEC Economic Leaders Meeting (AELM)
and the APEC CEO Summit to be held on October 6 to 8. Del Rosario will also
join the President in the 23rd ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings to
be held on October 9 and 10 in Brunei Darussalam.
The expenses
cover transportation, accommodation, food and equipment, among other
requirements, for the President and his 84-member official delegation.
“President Aquino
is expected to share a number of Philippine initiatives during the scheduled
meetings in Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam,” Ochoa said.
“Some of these
will be on the areas of environmental protection and climate change mitigation,
food security, women and the economy, infrastructure investment, among others. Our
President is also expected to press for the need to strengthen cooperation in
cross-border education and skills training to bolster development of human
resources amid economic growth,” Ochoa added
According to the
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the President will attend the APEC CEO
Summit as a panelist on the session on inclusive growth together with Prime
Minister Yingluck Shinawatra of Thailand and President Ollanta Humala of Peru.
The APEC CEO Summit, considered a premier business event, is attended by
distinguished global CEOs from throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
The DFA also said
President Aquino will meet with members of the APEC Business Advisory Council
(ABAC) and counterparts from the other 20 member-economies of APEC to discuss
issues of mutual concerns, particularly on the promotion of trade
liberalization and facilitation, economic technical cooperation and
people-to-people connectivity.
In Brunei,
President Aquino will take part in the 23rd ASEAN Summit and Related
Meetings, where he is expected to attend at least nine different meetings
between the ASEAN and Japan, the Republic of Korea, China, the United States
and the United Nations, among others, according to the DFA.
The Chief
Executive will also attend the Gala Dinner to be hosted by His Royal Highness
Sultan Bolkiah on October 9, as well as the closing ceremony and the handover
of the ASEAN Chairmanship of Brunei to Myanmar at the end of the Summit, the
DFA added.
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